The Lost and Found, Birmingham

'The Lost and Found' located on Bennetts Hill in Birmingham is a completely immersive dining experience based on the explorations of Professor Hettie G. Watson. Situated inside a Grade II listed building with wonderful tiled floors and huge panelled ceilings it's certainly an impressive place with the wow factor. Pictured below are two of the dining areas, the library, with wonderful bookcase wallpaper and dimly lit tables. The garden terrace was where we were sat was beautiful with lights hanging from a wooden framework and jam jars filled with plants meant to emulate the botanical discoveries of Hettie on her travels.

The Lost and Found has a lovely atmosphere, with extremely friendly floor staff who quickly made the effort to get us a table in the already busy restaurant. The lighting is dim, which seemed to make the décor pop even more and definitely added to the drama of the venue without doubt, however it made taking clear photos rather difficult so I do apologise.

One of the dining areas

'Garden terrace' dining area

We were lucky enough to arrive during Hettie's Happy hour which meant 241 on selected cocktails which I will go on to discuss at the end of this blog but first I will mention the food we tried from their wonderful menu filled with both experimental and classical dishes.

Pigeon with beetroot puree and quince

I opted for a starter of Pan fried pigeon breast with beetroot puree, quince jelly, pistachio crumble, apple salad and balsamic vinaigrette. The portion size (although it does not appear this was in the picture) was a little small in comparison to the other starters on our table but the flavours were all excellent and the pigeon cook perfectly pink. The rocket added nothing other than a bit of colour however the sweet quince jelly completed the earthy beetroot and salty pistachios brilliantly.



Red Onion and Smoked cheese tart

 

Pork and Scallops
















There were two other starters ordered, a red onion and smoked cheese tart served with potato and fruit chutney, an absolutely huge portion - almost enough for a main course really due to the fact it was more of a pie than a tart which the menu described. However for a family of big eaters this was most definitely nothing to complain about and the pie was really well filled and full of flavour.

The other starter was pressed pork belly and pan seared scallops served with butternut puree and a shallot and tomato relish. I was incredibly tempted by this option too, and when I saw it arrive I have to admit the food envy set in. The classic combo of pork and scallops alongside a sweet, smooth squash puree worked wonderfully together and made for an excellent start to my Dad's meal.

Cod Loin with black olives and steamed mussels

My main course was a loin of cod with truffled mash, the fish was cooked to perfection in my opinion, however the accompaniment was a little too salty for my liking with the combination of mussels and olives. The seafood bisque was wonderful, really fresh and complimented the creamy mash, however, I'd have liked to have had some green veg with the dish, runner beans for example as although (again) rocket provided the splash of colour, it added nothing texturally or to the flavour of the dish.

Fish and Chips

Whole baby chicken

My Mum and Dad both opted for dishes with more of a pub classic feel and these were done very well (apart from the unnecessary rocket which was becoming a key theme throughout the dishes!). The chips on both plates were lovely, hand cut, and although they looked slightly over done, this was in fact just the skins which made them taste like very good wedges. The fish batter was crisp, the fish itself very fresh and the tartare sauce and minted mushy peas were fail safe sides but done with rustic flair. My Dads chicken was on the large side (again not really a complaint, especially when my Dad is concerned) but was very succulent and served alongside a crispy (yet rather spicy) red cabbage slaw which added texture and also a whack of heat on the palette.

'La Bonne Vie'



'Discovering Genever'






'Broke Bankers'

Arriving just as the happy hour started was unintentional on our part, but made for an excellent surprise as the cocktail list was full renewed classics and also unique creations. My personal favourite was my first cocktail name 'La Bonne Vie', a chamomile tea infused vodka with flavours of elderflower and hibiscus syrup. It was like nothing I had ever tasted before, really amazing tea flavours but also the sweetness of the syrup and elderflower, I could have drunk this all night...however I was on a mission to try at least two more before I left! My second was Broke bankers, a marmalade, sloe gin and fig concoction which was much sharper than my initial cocktail, and served in a long glass which made it the perfect cocktail when eating rich food.

'Iced Kentucky Walnut'

Surprisingly (for our family) we were all too full to sample their desserts - however I'm sure they would have been an absolute triumph! Instead I'd had my eye on one of their cocktails, named 'Iced Kentucky Walnut' - an invention penned as their version of an espresso martini. In fact it was more like an alcoholic milkshake due to the use of cream and milk, these were combined with a shot of espresso, walnut infused bourbon and vanilla syrup. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect end to a great meal, in very impressive surroundings.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant, I think with slightly more finesse in terms of the presentation of the food, a little less rocket and a touch more thought on the flavour combinations on the dishes the food would be just as excellent as the cocktails and the surrounding environment.

http://www.the-lostandfound.co.uk/